Apparently grad school at RISD is not all work + no play.

Thanks Ryan!

see you this evening. . . .

So I was thinking my pinto tank needed some kind of puch branding on it, but I didn't want to go for the traditional circle and shield. I opted to design my own decals and get them made up. I'm pretty pumped about how they came out, and how they look on my tank. I'm trying to decide whether to put one on each side or just on the one. Any thoughts. Opinions??? I thought the quality I found in the company that printed them is really great: expect some Metal Ponies decals hopefully coming soon...


and on my tank.

Got my intake from motomatic!!!!! was a little bummed about how expensive it was for such a small piece of welded steel haha... and even more bummed when the base thickness wasnt deep enough to have the washers push down on it to hold in place on the Polini 64. I fixed that problem easily, but frustrating none the less... The tubing was a bit short, though in the long run probably beneficial because less distance for the mixture to travel... but it did force me to use a throttle bendy... very close to the frame. I did try and kick it over last night, only a short effort though because the GF was there and growing tired of moped debauchery. I had great compression, the headlight turned on when I pedaled(<-- BRIGHT!) and it was doing that almost starting engine whine, i think i heard it almost fire up , but I'm unsure - Could have just been wishful thinking. I'm unsure of where my problem lies, if there is a problem, maybe I just need more time with it. Hopefully I'll be able to get her going tomorrow... That'd be SO sweet. Otherwise hopefully the ponies can help diagnose and get it running on Tuesday.

For those of you who might be interested. I found Michelin M62 Gazelles (17x2.5) for under $17 here. This is a great tire which is usually pretty expensive ($25 each on Treats or 1977).

p.s. the description on their site saying their tubeless is wrong, I just got mine in the mail and their not, but they are super sexy.

So after talking with sloppy Joe we decided to decrease the overall length of the intake flange by 1mm on each side (2mm total) and increase the outer radii around the bolt holes to 4mm (vs. 2.76mm) to give it some structural integrity around the area where people like to crank them allen bolts down. 1/4" steel is being used to further beef it up while also allowing extra room for customization and/or to sand things flat in the event of any warping after welding.

I sent the design to Metfab Engineering in Attleboro Falls, MA (excellent place by the way) and they are being laser cut as I am typing this. Only three are being made right now to do some test fits, but if alls good in the hood we'll get more to make people quality, affordable, and TRUE 19mm ID intakes. I'll post pictures as soon as I can.


In other news, I'm setting up my Minarelli V1 Polini to be a little more...radical haha. I'm going to fit a right-mounted Simonini exhaust, but the flange for that is way kooky since it's designed for some Euro non-variating Peugeot. Solution? Yet another custom flange! This one has a 25mm ID...hopefully she'll scream :)

Sneak peak of the start of a true 19mm intake manifold.

I'm serious when I say that I couldn't enjoy myself as much as I do working on peds if it wasn't for the awesome and talented people who help and suggest with my builds. John and Ryan have been there since day one helping me build my E50 and answering endless amounts of questions. I took the engine apart just fine... but they've been really good about teaching me and helping me learn in a way that I can do it myself... eventually. Joe did an UNBELIEVABLE job welding and machining my new pedal spindle. He also made a suggestion to widen the exhaust flange to allow enough room for the baffle to clear the rear shock. Richards been a saint for allowing us to invade his workshop every Tuesday until at least midnight! Dan for the jets, Derek for... being the devils advocate... and questioning my every decision! ha... I really could sit here all night naming everyone in the clan who has helped me in one way or another, but I'd be here all night! But I just wanted to say that I'm so thankful to have been brought into a group of people who are all so enthusiastic about something that it has created the friendships I've made with you dudes and dudettes. Thank you all!

With that said... I present a couple updated Free Spirit pictures from tonight.

Spindle weld

Clearance! no rub!!!

Yep.

Derek loves it.

The damn bracket!

A couple ongoing projects in Bjorns shed, more to follow.

Oh Dang!

This past week has been kind of stressful. It has also been raining a lot! Tonight it stopped raining and the roads almost looked dry (almost). I decided to take the magnum out instead of driving my car. It's a great way to clear my head.

So I go out... blah blah blah... and the next thing I know it's 4:00am. I decided I better get home because my dog has probably got to pee pretty bad. I go outside to unlock my moped and notice this.


I guess I get to ride home in the snow. There is no one out on the roads at 4:00 when it's snowing. It's actually pretty awesome. I did wish I had fenders though. The salt from the road kept spraying into my mouth. Here are some pictures from the ride home.




Most of the roads were just wet. As I got closer to the West Side the amount of slush started to build up but it wasn't too bad. I keep my speed down anyway. I thought I was doing a pretty good job riding. I didn't even slid once. As I turned onto my street I noticed that it was covered in snow. I slowed way down just to be safe. I was probably moving about walking speed in the turn and as I started to pull out of it I gave it a little gas and spun the rear tire. I wasn't expecting that at all and ended up dropping my bike! Luckily nothing was damaged. Heres what my street looked like.


This Is some other stuff I had been messing around with earlier in the day.

Forgot what's in the shed.. lets have a look...

one sad and dusty Honda Hobbit PA


look look.. it might actual look good underneath


Motomarina blk blk.. probably use it as a parts bike..
good engine (missing some parts),
good wheels.. forks are shot, cables/wires shot


Motron power with snowflakes..
along with Code Red G3.. most of these guys are
either getting pulled apart or sold come sunny weather

1985 Puch Maxi
Sexy Black
ZA50
$125

It was super nice out so Richard and I went for a ride around Roger Williams Park. Besides an air leak where the carb meets the intake, Richard's Derbi is super fun to ride. It doesn't feel like your are on a moped at all. It's huge. I was riding the army green Maxi I just built. I haven't ridden a bike with a stock cylinder in a looong time. It was pretty fun though. The porting I did in the cylinder seemed to make a difference... or I just don't remember what a stock bike feels like to ride.


Later that night I went up to Boston for the Moped Jay benefit. I am glad I went up to support Jay but there were a lot of weirdos there. There was one dude that kept throwing up in the sink! Go out side if and find some bushes or something if you need to blow chunks. I feel bad for the people that have to clean that chunky mess up in the morning... and hopefully they buy a new dish sponge. The current one is no longer safe for washing dishes.


I did get a sweet new kHz sticker though!


Way better than the original.

I hate repacking bearings

Wheels done. I am getting really good at putting Gazelles on.

Kendra finally got the frame she wanted and picked out a color to paint it.

This frame is from the first moped I every owned. It used to be purple. I kind of wish I never painted it green. Anyway, This build is almost done and will be for sale soon.

sava tires
new tubes
ported stock cylinder
Dellorto 16 SHA
Boss pipe
new ignition with 12V lighting coil
new petcock
magnum forks

I am not sure how much I will be asking for this. Probably between $500-$600. Oh yeah, it is currently registered!

Hey you! You know you've been looking for a place to work on your mopeds. You know how much it sucks to have to work out on the sidewalk. For less than you spend on beer everyweekend (some of you everyday) you could rent a spot in Richard's warehouse. It is going to be sweet. We already started setting up shelving and work benches. All we need now are more people to bring there mopeds over. You really have no reason not to do this. It's only a 5 minute moped ride from the Westside if you know the secret back roads route. There will be plenty of tools for everyone to use, there are fun animals, the lights are fixed, we can set up a beer fridge, and its cheap! Contact Richard or me if you are interested.

It's gonna happen. Something is being sacrificed and I'm gonna get an SSXL

I was worried Nick B. was gone for good. Looks like he has just been hiding out in his garage learning mopeds. Glad to he's still around.